I had the previous endless reboot problem but now it loads up really slow. I actually got it to play a recording but it does the same thing when trying that. Mainly it boots up slow and starts loading in a jerking motion, if I go in too far in a menu or play a recording it won't let me go back.

I had the previous endless reboot problem but now it loads up really slow. I actually got it to play a recording but it does the same thing when trying that. Mainly it boots up slow and starts loading in a jerking motion, if I go in too far in a menu or play a recording it won't let me go back.

If even one cap is just slightly bulging there is a problem and you need to replace that cap (but preferably all such caps), or get a new power supply. And you should do this before any other troubleshooting such as KS54.

Note that some users have reported bad caps that weren't even bulging. Also, KS54 doesn't catch all HDD problems. For that you need to remove the HDD, connect to a PC and run mfr's extended diagnostics.

If you aren't technically inclined you might want to talk to TiVo and Weaknees.com to see what kind of deal you can get for a refurbished or new TiVo.

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KS 54 is ok to run, but don't run KS 57 on an older drive that might be giving you issues. There is a high chance it will go into a GSOD boot loop, which will then force your hand into replacing it right away.

If you want to run disk diagnostics, it is much better to remove the drive and run it from a PC than from TiVo.

The plot thickens.... The expander drive is also a prime suspect. Try reseating the eSata connectors or even replacing the cable --- at least this is cheap and easy compared to most other troubleshooting actions. Other than that, all the previous advice applies, except now you have two HDD's to suspect and test. Oh, and the expander drive electronics are also a possible failure point.

I would never use an expander drive. It just gives you twice as many failure points. And every recording you've made since adding the expander is split between the internal and expander HDD's. So if you divorce the expander, you lose all those recordings.

Once you verify the power supply is OK -- or fix or replace it -- if you find (now or later) that you have a HDD failure, I would plan to scrap both HDD's and upgrade to a 1 TB or 2 TB internal HDD --- or upgrade to a Roamio (since your Tivo doesn't have lifetime). Or another thing: Last year, when my same model Tivo was 3 years old, I threatened to just dump my Tivo and use a cable co DVR, and Tivo gave me a lifetime subscription for just $99. Others have done the same or similar.

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That probably means not being able to run the drive manufacturer's diagnostics on the drive with it hooked directly to the PC motherboard, so I guess you'll have to go with running KS 54 on the TiVo, but you still need to check that power supply, since it's so often the explanation for S2 and S3 problems.

That probably means not being able to run the drive manufacturer's diagnostics on the drive with it hooked directly to the PC motherboard, so I guess you'll have to go with running KS 54 on the TiVo, but you still need to check that power supply, since it's so often the explanation for S2 and S3 problems.

Should I go through all the kickstart programs as I mentioned from someone else's thread OR just do the one you just mentioned?

Should I go through all the kickstart programs as I mentioned from someone else's thread OR just do the one you just mentioned?

First we need to eliminate the power supply as either a or the cause of your problems, and someone with more experience than I with the whole TiVo specific external drive deal needs to advise you on how to proceed considering its presence, but the only KS I'd run to begin with after ruling out the power supply is 54, which tests the drive on the physical level "below" the TiVo software.

After ruling out the power supply and the physical drive itself as causes you can move on to what to do about the possibility that the software on the drive has a problem.

For which I'd probably say go with KS 58, since it does 57 and some other stuff.

If you have any inkling there might be drive issues, I highly suggest avoiding kickstart 57 and 58.

Once they hit hard drive errors, they will put you in a GSOD boot loop.

Right now your series 3 is booting and partially working. You can still offload the shows onto your PC as backup or limp along and still record/watch shows, albeit with degraded performance.

Once you go into a GSOD loop, the TiVo is useless until you pull the drive out and perform more in-depth operations which you don't seem to be set up to do now.

I just went through this with an S3 OLED that had both power supply and hard drive issues.

IMO you really should get access to a desktop PC with sata/esata connections and have a spare drive on hand before you do any more diagnostics other than Kickstart 54, which won't put you in a worse off situation. Of course it is best to run diagnostics from the PC rather than TiVo.

I did do the KS54 and the SMART test. Of course my external esata drive failed all the tests. So it is the external hard drive that is causing this, I did not have a torx screwdriver available to open up the Tivo to examine the power supply.